A liquid-gas accumulator is required to provide an instantaneous supply of hydraulic fluid at a high flow rate sustained throughout the discharge period when the accumulator is actuated. However, as the liquid level inside the accumulator nears the bottom, the accumulator discharge outlet must be closed leaving just enough liquid inside to keep the gas in the accumulator from escaping. Various types of accumulators such as piston types, bladder types, and guided float types have been used in the past, some of which actuate a spring-loaded liquid inlet-outlet valve.
The present invention is directed to a liquid-gas accumulator having various improvements which provides an accumulator that (1) allows a high flow rate without losing gas, (2) allows large variations in flow rates and surges without prematurely closing, (3) is not restricted by or dependent upon variations in size or accumulator shell configuration, (4) is completely repairable with a minimum of effort without disturbing the pressure integrity of the accumulator shell, (5) is reliable and has a long life without having movable valves, springs or collapsible hollow floats, and (6) closes off the liquid inlet-outlet port when all of the liquid has flowed out except for the minimum necessary to keep all of the gas in.